The True Priest of Jashin
by MyNameIsARickRoll
Summary: Doesnt BELONG TO ME.PLOT?YES.CHARACTERS? NO. Now: Naruto is killed by the ANBU forces on the day of the Kyuubi Celebration. In his mind, he meets Jashin, Lord of Slaughter, and begins a new life. Extreme violence in first chap, not for the faint hearted.
1. Chapter 1 The Priest of Jashin

**New story! I will be continuing with Bijuu King, but I've decided to alternate update days with this new idea for a fic which has been plaguing me since I thought of it whilst making coffee and a pot noodle earlier today. It literally didn't leave my head once. Therefore tomorow will be a Bijuu King update day, then Thursday a True Priest of Jashin day, and so on in that order.**

**Just as a plot point, this story is set just after Naruto returned from his trip to Wave with Team Seven where he had met Haku and Zabuza. The entire plot is shifted slightly so that it is his birthday- October 10th, on the day he returns.**

**Edit: 28th January 2011 hope fully I cleared up the time canon a bit. **

**REVIEW PEOPLE. REVIEW. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. Good idea? Bad idea? Anyone who actually would want to read this if it continued? Tell me everything, I want to know goddamit!**

**I LOVE YOU ALL. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO- CHAPTER ONE, THE PRIEST OF JASHIN.**

_**Chapter One: The Priest of Jashin**_

Naruto ran out of the villiage. It was his birthday, and he had long since discovered that it was best for him not to interrupt the festival that the villagers held to celebrate the defeat of the Kyuubi. He had taken to heading just outside of Konoha for the day whenever it came around. He knew from past experience that if he stayed there was no doubt the he would be beaten to within an inch of his life, and that he would probably not survive this year. He had barely lived past last years festival, and the beatings got progressively worse each time.

Settling down at the base of the tree which he had chosen as he own for the past year, he closed his eyes and began to dream about what life would be like when he was older. He knew he wasn't going to be Hokage, that was true. He was a genin now, and he knew being a ninja wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He had been expecting excitement and missions with life threatening circumstances every other day, but he had not been expecting the paperwork he had to do when he returned from a mission, something which he had been told about recently by a chuunin. In fact, he was already planning on leaving the village to become a missing-nin as soon as he gained the ability to protect himself- he hated the treatment he got, he hated being looked down upon, and most of all, he hated doing paperwork. He was sick of the village now, but he wasn't stupid. He knew if he left he wouldn't make it to the next village before he was torn apart by something.

Naruto had been too focused on his thoughts, and drifted off into a miniature dream world of what would happen if he were to leave now, to concentrate on his surroundings. The ANBU of the town who hated him were still not at all deterred by the Hokage's law of protection. Creeping up on him from behind, a man in a boars mask clasped a hand over his mouth and dragged him into the brush. Attempting the scream, Naruto was punched harshly by a man in an eagle mask. His head spun as the force of an ANBU punch registered in his nerves. The pain came again, but this time from the opposite side of his face. He blinked rapidly, trying to get the small tears out of his eyes so as not to show fear but it was useless.

The boar-masked ANBU let go of his mouth and quickly tied tape around his head instead, leaving only noseholes and eye holes so the boy could see what was happening to him. The large boar ANBU bore* down on him again, and punched harshly into his face once more. Naruto was thankful that the tape cushioned the blow, but completely forgot what he was thinking when the same fist crashed directly into his throat. Coughing up blood, only to have it caught in his tape and held in front of his face forcing him to inhale the coppery taste, he attempted to cry out in pain- only to be thwarted by the tape. By the time the shock from the punch had registered, he realised the pain from his other wounds. It had been only seconds, but the ANBU had wasted no time in working on further injury. Naruto was all too aware of the numerous vicious kunai wounds and shuriken stuck in his body, which the Kyuubi was frantically healing.

The genin had learnt about Kyuubi on his own. He learnt about it after encountering the demon fox in his own mind, after an intense bout of meditating with Iruka. It was also where he learnt he didn't truly belong to Konoha. He belonged to the wilds, like the Kyuubi he held- and he held no qualms about using its power if he needed too. Although, with his intentions, he knew he would never have to use the Kyuubi's power- he would be strong enough to get by without it. But back to the point at hand.

The ANBU had moved on from simply stabbing and slashing with the kunai. The boar was currently plunging a kunai into his sternum, and then ripping downwards, causing a huge gash which leaked blood like water from a faucet. The eagle had his arm in a vice grip, twisting madly and pulling the bone up and out of the socket whilst he snapped his wrist and elbow. All this happened, and as much as Naruto wished the torture would end, and as much as the Kyuubi hated putting his kit through this torture, his animal instinct refused to allow them to die, and so continued pouring chakra into healing the wounds.

As Naruto's bones snapped back into place, and his guts regenerated themselves as fast as Kyuubi could manage (which, when working at full speed, was tremendously fast) the ANBU giggled in glee. They were proud of themselves, eliminating the bane of Konoha, the very creature their beloved Yondaime had worked hard to kill, but had failed to truly destroy it. They didn't resent it, no, they were pleased that although their Hokage was not as infinately powerful as they believed, he was more than enough to provide them with the means to destroy the Kyuubi.

Naruto moaned in pain as a katana was drawn. Slowly working from his feet up, the ANBU worked on removing his clothing. It only took a few minutes before the boy was completely stripped bare. Once again returning to his feet, the katana was brought down. The removal of his left foot was so quick he barely even realised it, but once the cold air and the stinging grass got to the wound, he yelled out as loud as he could, the ANBU pleased that the muffling tape kept this barely louder than the average speech level of the Genin. Then, starting at the skin around the wound, the katana was replaced with a trench knife, similar to that wielded by Jonin Asuma Sarutobi.

The flaying began painfully. The knife was carefully forced in the small space between the skin and the muscle. Slowly, without any care to how much muscle he tore off- only making sure not to break the skin- the boar began working up the boys leg. He was careful not to cut any of the skin, allowing it to stay in a loose shape draped over the muscle as he continued his work. As the skin reached the top of his thigh, he boar ANBU took his katana, and swung down once again, severing the leg completely. By the time the ANBU had reached the top of his thigh, the foot was healed and working on regrowing new skin and muscle, but all of the chakra Kyuubi exhausted was wasted as it was once again removed, along with even more tissue and bone. Naruto's cry this time breached his tape and he screamed into the forest. The ANBU held up a small Katon jutsu he had created, cauterising the wound before healing could begin, preventing the genin from bleeding out, and preventing it from growing back.

By then, the blood from the small wounds had caused Naruto to become dizzy. He barely noticed as the tape was removed from the upper half of his face, and his eyes were literally pecked from his skull by the eagle ANBU, who true to his mask was genuinely using it's small beak to remove the orbs. Naruto was too weak at this point to scream out, barely managing a pained groan. He was punched once again, and the ANBU's thumbs were forced harshly into the sockets of his eyes- which the Kyuubi could not fix. He was also weak- whilst his chakra was unlimited, his stamina was not. Whilst he was powerful, he was wearing tired from exhausting so much chakra on healing the wounds, and now only concentrated on the serious wounds.

The smell of blood, entrails and burnt flesh was enough to make Naruto sick- so that's what he did. It only made it worse, as the tape prevented it from escaping, and mixed it with the blood from the earlier punch- causing him to throw up again. He could hear the ground scraping beneath him as he felt himself be dragged somewhere. He tried to look around, but his lack of eyes prevented him from seeing anything, and his complete numbness was also rejecting any attempts at using his other senses to pick out his location. He felt himself be picked up by the ANBU- he guessed this time that it was the boar- he seemed bigger and would have less trouble than the eagle picking him up.

Then suddenly, his back impacted harshly with a solid material- some form of wood if his bare back could determine it accurately enough. He gagged as he was punched harshly in the stomach, and when he leant forward he throat suddenly was caught in the razor wire which was tied around his throat. Then, he felt a harsh impact upon his hands. Screaming hoarsely, he knew now he was going to die. There was no doubt, as his chest was also impaled, that he was not making it through. His other hand was also nailed to the wood, and his leg nailed to another piece. Feeling himself hanging from the tree, his tape was ripped off his mouth, taking a large swathe of skin with it. He yelled as loud as he could, head darting back and forth to try and determine the location of his attackers, his murderers, ignoring the tearing of the wire on his throat as best he could.

He heard the sound of footsteps dimming and he slowly waited until they had finally dissapeared before he began to cry out. No words, no adjectives, no nouns or verbs existed in what he was yelling, just a primal cry of an animal in immense pain and torment, who knew his end would come soon. He felt his stomach burn as the Kyuubi roared in anguish. He didn't want to die. As an eternal being, dying was never something the Kyuubi had to worry about- and that was why such a prospect terrified him so. Naruto could feel the collosal beast of chakra throw itself at the gates of his cage, attempting to escape. Naruto focused on the fading sounds of the crashing until he blacked out. He knew death was coming, and he didn't care anyone- as long as it took away his pain.

**An Hour Later**

Naruto awoke in a daze. He clearly remembered what had happened earlier, the pain he felt from the kunai and the shuriken, the utter agony he recieved from the katana flaying his flesh from his leg and then the removal of his leg altogether. He knew it happened, and he knew the pain. But what he did not know, was why he was sat in a garden, surrounded on all sides by a pit of fine sand set into a space between the trees, just across from the completely blackened pool which lay around a fountain which sprayed more blackened water into the pool.

He sat up, and gazed down to see in amazement, his leg whole once again. It looked unmarred, as if nothing had happened. He looked around once again, surprised by the complete lack of blood the area held in comparison to the amount of blood he knew should be covering him and his surroundings. Unlike most people, there was literally no limit to how fast Naruto's blood cells could replenish and therefore no limit to how much he could bleed. The ANBU seemed to know this, and take full advantage of watching him lose his life force. Yet there was nothing here.

''I see you have awoken.'' was all Naruto heard, and it was enough to put him on edge. Flying around, he saw a man with long black hair which easily reached he bottom of his back. It was not at all messy- it looked more like the dark water flowing from the fountain than hair. His skin was so fine a white, it seemed to give off a glow. His eyes were a complete black. No iris or sclera, his eyes seemed to be a complete black with nothing else. As Naruto looked closer into his eyes, he noticed the fire which seemed to dance within them. It kept dissapearing, but the actual appearance of fire burned behind the mans eyes, as perfect as even the most well done Katon jutsus.

''Who..who are you? And where am I? And how can I see, my eyes were taken!'' Naruto yelled in surprise, shock, anger, fear and above all, panic that the process he had just been through was about to repeat.

''Calm down child. You are not in any danger. I shall answer your questions in reverse order, if you will allow me.'' the figure said, the fire in his eyes burning less intensely now. Naruto stumbled out a nod. ''The answer to how you can see...simple. I restored your eyes. They are no longer the eyes you knew however, it was both impossible and un-wanted for me to restore them to how I wanted. Healing is not my forte- it took a full hour to restore you to your current state. You are currently in my garden. It is a place of peace- I and a few wolves share this place in tranquility. And to answer your question...my name is Jashin, my title, Lord of Slaughter.''

Naruto was now beside himself in panic. ''S-slaughter? You ARE going to kill me! I can tell, Lords of SLAUGHTER kill people!'' the genin attempted to run, but it appeared his leg was completely artificial- merely an illusion, and he fell on his face as quickly as he had managed to stumble up.

''Relax, I shan't kill you. Whilst it is true I am not a peaceful man, I am benevolent. I shan't harm you, not today or ever. Believe me, if I wanted to, I would have slain you whilst you slept- and I would not have healed in you in the first place for that matter.'' the more Naruto thought on those words, the more they made sense.

''Well then, you told me your name and title, Lord Jashin, but who are you? What do you do? Why am I here, and why did you heal me?'' Naruto answered, his voice calmer than before, but still holding a tinge of panic and his timbre wavered slightly at every other word or so.

''Naruto, you are here in my garden for one reason and one reason only. And that reason is not to question my motives. However, due to my wonderfully kind nature, I shall answer you. I am Jashin, Lord of the Slaughter. I am not a god, as some followers on your Earth believe- but a middling. My father a demon, whilst my mother an angel. I was born in a forbidden relationship by the two, and as such was ejected from heaven and completely rejected from hell. I set up my own world here where I rule. Unfortunately, people have begun thinking I was a god on Earth...it sucks, as I think kids your age would put it. What do I do? Many things. I run my garden. I carve things from rock. I create designs for wonderful things in my sand, and then create them in 3-d space. I lead my followers, and I grant my most promising priests immortality. So far my follower Hidan has been the only person to achieve such a thing. You are here because I have chosen you as my new priest and the prophet of my religion. And I healed you, because I cannot do with a crippled saviour. When you return to earth, you will find you have a robotic leg. This is due to the fact that my ability to create things at will is lower on earth. It was the best I could do.''

Naruto's mouth was agape. He had met...a demons child...who favoured him and saved him from death...who he had never heard of before today, but wanted him to become his prophet, and someone who's killing intent was so large it covered all of the land- but to Naruto it felt more like a warm blanket than the smothering of Killing Intent he had seen before. He could sense the malice in this beings existance, but it was definately not directed at him.

''Stand Naruto, I shall support you.'' Jashin said, holding his hand out in front the boy- which allowed Naruto to notice the bizarre lack of nails, it was as if his skin just connected instead of having the nail there...unusual. ''Walk with me, I shall explain everything.''

And so Naruto arose, his arm over the taller mans back, and relishing in the rich texture of his hair- it truly was as soft as it looked. And then they walked, as Jashin began conversing about his plans.

**Back in the real world.**

The Hokage was pissed, to say the least. He knew he was not able to find and prosecute whoever had done this, but he wanted to kill whoever it was. He wanted to tear them apart just as they had the young boy. Above him, Sarutobi saw the blond boy (not that you could tell any longer due to his blood-matted hair) crucified on a large tree. His body was impaled on a long, sharp looking branch and his arms were nailed to two outstretched branches beyond that. On his face were two blank holes where his eyes would have been, and two long streaks of blood and gore made their way down his face. The blood trail from outside of Konoha had led him here, and it continued up the tree.

The boy was naked, and his entire leg was removed. Sarutobi knew what had happened, because the leg was laid on the ground beside the tree, flesh eviscerated, bone completely shattered, but the flayed sheet of skin lay unharmed stretched between two branches. The blood from numerous cuts and gashes was still leaking to the bottom of his body and dripping to the ground. Several of the kunai and shuriken had been removed, showing gashes which revealed chunks of muscle and even glimpses of bone. This was what the majority of his unmarked body looked like. The body which contained weaponry still was worse. It was literally holding together with a network of shinobi weaponry. Around his neck was a rope of razor wire, which had revealed his vocal chords, obviously from twisting and screaming ,ripping away at the flesh. His mouth area and chest where covered with a mixture of blood and vomit.

The Hokage had seen some cruel sights in his life, but this was undoubtedly the worst- even more terrible than what he had discovered in Orochimaru's old lab in Konoha before he went missing-nin. Sarutobi removed the body from its makeshift crucifixtion area, and took it in his arms, closely against his chest. He may not have been able to save the boy, but the very least he could do was give him a proper funeral.

Sarutobi couldn't help but grimace in disgust at the cheers and grins he got when he walked back into Konoha, on the anniversary of the Kyuubi's defeat, holding the completely destroyed body of the one the citizens had grown to know as the demon itself. He barely resisted the urge to kill them all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry, readers of Bijuu King, for updating this fic twice in a row. I'm going to get them up to roughly the same length in terms of chapters before I start alternating, so this one will be my focus for a few days. It's much easier for me to write TTPoJ, it seems as though it just flows nicer. I think my writing is better on this one too. I won't be giving up on Bijuu King though, so don't worry about that if you are reading both stories!**

**This is a great chapter by my standards, and for me it's also really long. It's over 3700 words, and since my average is about 2200 words, this one is really long. I just kinda sat down and began, and couldn't seem to find an appropriate place to end it. Eventually though, I think it ended up okay. Can't wait to get writing the next chapter and I hope everyone reads it, and reviews it. I got a fantastic review from Kaeli-Madym, and I do hope she reviews this one too...that was one of the best reviews I've ever read...ever. **

**ALL HAIL THE SPORKY KING, ALL HAIL NARUTO, ALL HAIL JASHIN AND ALL HAIL PANCAKES...unfortunately, I don't own ANY of these things...so please, no-one sue me for them haha. Hope you all enjoy this one a lot, and I hope you all review because I just love getting constructive feedback from anyone :D **

**Withough Further ado- **

_Things in this chapter which are written in italics are things that happened in Jashin's garden with Naruto. Regular text is what happens in the regular world at the funeral._

**Chapter Two: A Pheonix Reborn from the Ashes.**

The Hokage sighed. He had held this funeral for Naruto, so that his few friends from the academy- namely Hinata, Shino and Iruka- and his friends Teuchi and Ayame from the ramen stand could come and say their goodbyes. What he had not been expecting, was for the whole village to form a parade, which marched into the funeral and eventually left after a lot of singing, dancing, balloons and streamers. Well, not quite to that extent, but the bright smiles on their faces and the underhanded comments at the deceased jinchuuriki were quite obviously betraying the fact that they wanted to sing and dance and party. When they had left, the night sky was dark and the Hokage finally began the correct funeral proceedings. Reading from his book, he began speaking.

_''So, Lord Jashin, what exactly would you want from me? If you haven't noticed, I'm small and weak, and I was never trained properly in the academy.'' Naruto said, fearing that the new revelation would cause the supposed deity to strike him down in his uselessness._

_''Naruto, I would have you know that you are in no way weak. If you had been trained correctly from the correct age, you would already be of Jonin level- of that I have no doubt.'' Naruto's mouth fell open in astoundment. ''However, you are correct, you were never truly trained, and therefore you were never truly a ninja. You never even reached true genin level. You only passed the Academy due to the luck of single jutsu. If you had never learned that Kage Bunshin technique from the scroll, you would still be academy student. This means you are currently weaker than every other genin in Konoha at this point. Which is why when you return to Earth to reach the level of Jonin and fulfill my wishes of spreading the word of my teachings, I shall give you four gifts. One of these gifts will not count truly as I have given it to every one of my extremely dedicated priests, and each one of my minor-prophets. But in this case, you get four, not just the one.''_

_Naruto was completely stunned, and he was exstatic that the would be getting these abilities- whatever they were! ''So Lord Jashin, what are these gifts?'' _

_''I'm glad you asked, Naruto.''_

As the Hokage finished up reading his chosen passage from the ninja handbook, a legend about the Yondaime- a king of kindness and self-sacrifice- and he was done explaining how Naruto was the embodiment of all these things, he looked out over the few people. Iruka was sat between Hinata and Shino, holding Hinata's head as the Hyuuga heir cried against his chest, and holding tightly on Shino's shoulder to provide support. Shino never really talked to Naruto in the academy but it was well known that the two were mutually respectful of each other, and the jinchuuriki's death had obviously affected him greatly- he even removed his glasses at one point!

As the Hokage stepped down from his speech, Iruka took up the place he had previously resided and begun his speech about Naruto.

''At first, the two of us never really got along. He was too mischevious, too lazy and too laid-back for anyone to think he could be serious about becoming a ninja. It took a while though, but eventually we became friends. Going out for ramen together, me teaching him extra whenever I got time- he wasn't very quick to pick up on things but I think that could have been my fault. He showed me his serious side- the side he kept hidden, the side he cried in and the mentality which proved he could become a ninja...'' Iruka continued in this vein for several minutes.

_Naruto was in awe, more so than he was after originally meeting Jashin, and that was saying something! The God-being had explained about the immortality he would grant his prophet, and in return all he requested was one sacrifice per day of a tainted soul. He was surprised that he would be offered such a thing- in the village he was hurt and battered, but here, a being who could potentially finally end him, was offering him peace and a way to survive anything the villagers through at him! He was also told that when he reached the age of 18, his body would stop aging. He could gain or lose weight, he could grow or shave a beard and become more muscular, but he would never age. He was thoroughly amazed- but Jashin's gifts had not stopped coming._

_''Naruto, you are blind. The only way you can see here is my magic- when you return to the real world you will lose your sight again. However, I have to ability to cure your eyes with my second gift. With this gift, I will give you my eyes Naruto. You shall have my eyes- the blackened eyes with the dancing fire within. Using them, you will be able to distinguish the tarnished souls from the innocents, and therefore know which souls to sacrifice to me each day. They will also provide you with a killing intent exactly like mine, and the ability to see through most solid objects. These eyes are the second gift I will give to you, as my prophet- my first true prophet.''_

Iruka was unable to finish his speech clearly. The last few words came out indistinguishable with tears, and he couldn't stop the flow of the liquid pouring down his face. All he could smell was the salt, and he could taste it on his tongue. He stepped away from the pedestal and begun to wipe at his eyes with his hankerchief, and looked towards Hinata and Shino apologetically- he had not intended to cry in front of them, he knew he had to be strong, if only for his academy students. But he had failed.

Hinata's tears were coming stronger now, having seen Iruka break down, she felt as if there was no way she could hold up anymore. Shino grasped her hand and squeezed tightly, showing in his rather detatched way that he cared, and that he was there for her. Shino's glasses were back on, but what people didn't know is that they were now there in order to hide the minute tears that had built up- as an Aburame, he was not allowed to show emotion.

The Hokage once again took up his position at the podium, and began to say more and more words- both standard for Konoha deaths, and his own personal feelings. Towards the end, he drifted slightly into sentimentality, and was completely lost in his emotions. In his head, all he could see was the sannin. He had failed them first, allowing one to go rogue, another to leave forever, and another to barely ever return. He had failed Naruto too- and he was distraught at the fact that he could not even punish those who did it. ANBU were very good at hiding all traces of their involvement in something.

_''So what are the other two gifts Lord Jashin? You said I'd get four...and if these last two are anything to go by, then I don't even know how to thank you! I'm not even sure how I can even start to make this up to you...I guess I'll just never miss a sacrifice...'' he sacrifices were the only thing weighing on his mind, but every time he began to regret accepting the middlings offers, he remembered that he would only be slaughtering the sinners and those who made life difficult for others and harmed innocents. That, at least, was enough to placate him._

_''My third gift...it is the strongest gift I have ever given out. I shall give you something incredible. An affinity for all of the elements, and all hidden elements. Water, earth, lightening, fire, wind, the powers of the ying and yang*, as well as the powers of light and darkness will be your affinities. That is not to say you will be immediately able to use them all. The training and conditioning of your mind and body will be completely up to you. I am not giving my prophet everything- merely the tools to get there.''_

_Naruto was confused...he hadn't even heard of the last four elements! He knew light and darkness existed of course, but he had never heard of anyone controlling them with chakra- the closest thing he could come up with was the Nara's use of shadows. However, he did understand the last part. If he were to train, and train even harder, breaking bounderies, he would become one of the most powerful ninja ever. With such obscure talents and rare potential that he was sure was unheard of, he knew he could do it._

_''T-thank you, Lord Jashin...may I please inquire as to what the final gift is?'' Naruto felt strange talking like this, formally and using correct grammar and wordings- but he could feel the effects of the third gift already. His chakra coils and mental state were changing and he could feel it. It felt like worms and other nasties lurking underneath his skin, pulling it up from his flesh and allowing it to settle again- but it did not hurt. It felt strangely relaxing, having such a deep massage... He could tell his mind was changing to allow for the use of such advanced elements, and such rare skills- which was how we was able to now identify things about the garden he had not before...bone trees with leaves which contained eyes, and the grass which never seemed to move- you simple walked on it, as it was unbending._

The funeral was over. Teuchi had said a few words about his favourite customer, and the council had relayed some bullshit-straight-from-script stuff about how they would all miss him dearly. They were sure not to ignore the fact that he had freed them of the demon, something they said with heavy hints towards Kyuubi. After everyone was completely finished, Teuchi, Iruka, Shino, Hinata and the Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi himself carried the small, plain wooden coffin down to the shinobi graveyard. He may not have not been a genin for very long, but Sarutobi insisted he be buried there.

Lowering him down into the dirt, and piling the mud on top, the visitors to the funeral all shed their final tears, said their final prayers for Naruto, and returned back to their homes. As much as they wished it would, there was no way the death of one academy student, barely made genin, who had not even been assigned sensei yet, would change their life too much. It just gave the villagers more to cheer about. After the grave was completely filled, and they returned to their homes, they realised that the Kyuubi defeat celebration was now extended to a two day festival. Day one: Defeat of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Day Two: Celebration of The Demon Child's Death.

_''The final gift, Naruto, is one which is overall less powerful than the other gifts I have given you, but potentially one of the most useful, as it will provide you with a completely unexpected advantage upon your enemies. I can give you dual bloodlines. You must pick two which you desire to have. Whilst true that the bloodlines will be primary and secondary, one more powerful than the other in you, it will give you a tremendous advantages on your enemies.'' Naruto geniunely saw the advantage of this. _

_''What...what do I get to pick from? I don't know much about bloodlines, Lord Jashin.'' the humble academy student said. He knew it was necessary to say, but it made him feel so useless._

_''You have a choice of two from six You can choose from the following: the Uchiha clans Sharingan. This would give you the ability see through jutsu's of all kinds and eliminate them as a major threat. It would also allow you to copy techniques. The second is the Hyuuga's Byakugan ability. It is said that the Sharingan originates from Byakuygan- which would give you 360 degree vision and a view of your opponents chakra pathways. The third Chakra bugs. These are from the Aburame clan,'' Naruto was shocked to hear about this idea which belonged to his friend Shino. '' and allow you to track perfectly, and drain an opponents chakra- the downside is that they would live within you and suck your chakra to live. Fourth is the Multi-size jutsu's which belong to the Akimichi's, although we can count this out already- you are not the correct build. Fifth is the ability to harness your opponents shadow and use it against them in an ability called Kagemane. Sixth and finally comes the Shikotsumyaku, a technique which utilises your own skeletal structure to create weaponry and a great defense. The downside here is that if used too often, the ability can hurt- but this is only if it is used almost daily. There is currently only one user of this technique left alive, as his clan the Kaguya was eliminated when he was a child.'' Jashin finished his explanation._

_Naruto thought it all through...he ran pro's and con's of each technique through his analytical mind. He was always someone who wanted to impress, and two of the skills fascinated him greatly. These would be the Sharingan and the Shikotsumyaku. _

_The Sharingan would allow him great abilities in tactics and outsmarting an opponent, which was something his new intelligence revelled in the prospect of doing. Whilst he hadn't gained more knowledge yet, he could think clearer and knew it would help him a lot in future battles- no matter how cool Kagemane sounded. Shikotsumyaku was his personal favourite though. Using your own bones, for both attack and defense with virutally no downside unless you relied on it alone, and having bones harder than steel which would be nearly impossible to shatter sounded brilliant, especially knowing the benefits of having hard bones. After all, if he had the technique before, he would never have been made a cripple by the ANBU who removed his leg- the bone would have stopped the blade._

_''I have decided, my Lord, I wish for my primary technique to be the Shikotsumyaku, the Dead Bone Pulse. I believe it would greatly benefit me in future, and add to my already well rounded potential arsenal well. The second I have chosen is the Sharingan of the Uchiha. The advantage over my opponents will be greatly appreciated.'' Naruto said, holding his voice as politely as he could whilst attempting to not allow his excitement too obvious- which it was, if his shaking arms was anything to go by._

_''And so it shall be done Naruto. You shall be my greatest prophet, and you shall lead your followers which you will inevitably gather in the correct direction for salvation. I trust in your will to keep this goal alive. Return to your village. Become a true ninja. Show everyone the power of Lord Jashin, and most of all,'' his voice softened at this point. ''make me proud Naruto. In this short time, I have come to know you as my closest friend- not that I have any others. Farewell Naruto...and remember, dig upwards.'' _

Before Naruto could say another word, he flashed awake in his coffin. Jerking upwards, and subsequently smashing his head harshly on the lid of his coffin, he moaned in pain. His entire body hurt. It felt just as bad as he had when he was hung up dying in the forest, but he knew his wounds had healed. There was zero light in where-ever he was, and therefore when he glanced around, he could see nothing but darkness. He felt around him, hands amassing splinters from the quite obviously shoddily built box he was in. He knew he was buried, or at least under some great weight, as the box lid would not budge as hard as he pushed.

He cried out loudly, as if he even thought anyone out there could hear him- which he knew was impossible. It took nearly a full ten minutes for his slightly rotted dead limbs to begin loosening for his use, and he began to punch as hard as his aching body could at the wood above him. After failing, he tried to calm himself. It didn't take much thought for him to realise exactly what had happened. Someone had found him hanging in the forest, and had taken his body back to the village. There he had been given a funeral...mourned over...and now he was buried six feet under in a poorly made coffin. He had to get out.

He gained as much power as he could into his fist and smashed hard into the coffin lid. He dimly realised that it didn't hurt as much as it should have, and gathered that it was the effects of the Shikotsumyaku making his bones harder. He could, if he glared really hard and squinted, make out his fist a few inches from his face. The skin was semi-rotted off, and the flesh beneath was green and gangrenous, obviously from having been dead for nearly 24 hours and left to decompose in a dirty forest. He knew a body would not normally have gone this terrible in one day, but knew it would have been due to his location for such a long time. Continuing to punch above himself, he kept going and going, until the splinters which cut his hands were no longer splinters, but shards of wood.

Even then, he did not stop. Soil began to fall through, and he felt beetles and maggots which had resided above him latch on to his rotting flesh and begin to feast. His fist crashed through into pure soil after about half an hour of punching. He dimly thought he wasn't doing too terribly for someone who was supposed to be dead, but knew he would have to excercise a lot to get back to his physical peak, and even further to make himself suitable for spreading the word of Lord Jashin. Any free time he had before was now going to be absorbed with training in every aspect of being a ninja. He would also have to work out how his new powers worked.

The soil was easier to displace than wood, and his work speeded up. His cuts and gashes stung as more mud, rocks and insects filled them and began their abrasive course through his body. Crawling slowly through the wet mud, he emerged on the surface only a full hour after he had awoke buried underground.

He realised that Lord Jashin had not been lying- his leg was not fixed. Gatherin all of his strength, he managed to hail himself up on his budget gravestone and onto his one leg. Using subsequent gravestones as support, and eventually trees once he reached there, he began his journey toward Hokage tower. It took him a full hour and a half to reach it, but the entire Tower was essentially empty aside from the Hokage himself- all of the workers had gone home to live their happy lives with their families. He continued dragging himself, leant against walls and banisters, hopping up stairs until he eventually he reached the door he knew to contain the Hokage.

Gathering all of his strength, he knocked on the door heavily.

**Inside the Hokage's office.**

Sarutobi had just finished finalising Naruto's death papers when there was a loud knocking on his door. Barely raising his head to acknowledge the noise, he called out.

''Come in.'' he said, mentally ending it with _''anything to interrupt the paperwork.''_

The door opened eerily quietly, and a squelching sound was heard. At this, he turned his attention fully to the door. Walking in with a tattered orange jumpsuit, shredded flesh, a missing left leg, gangrenous and infected wounds filled with mud and parasites, dirty, blood matted hair was Naruto Uzumaki. His skin was still marred- the wound in his chest leaving a huge scar on his his torso, and his hands still having weeping, sore holes in them. All that was left of his clothes were his right sleeve, a small amount of trouser and a sad looking sock.

Jumping up from his seat, the Hokage rushed toward Naruto, amazed he was still alive and shocked at his state- he looked even worse than he had when he was 'dead'. Putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder and helping him over to his seat, the Hokage slumped down in his chair.

''Naruto...are you okay? We'll get you medical attention as soon as possible! I cannot apologise enough for burying you...we thought you were dead! The wounds were horrible...why hasn't Kyuubi fixed you up? Talk to me Naruto!'' the Hokage yelled, exasperated, but immediately shut up when the blond haired academy student raised his head.

Looking dead into his eyes, Naruto's left eye sparkling as Sarutobi knew from before, Naruto's right eye was a deep red, the dual tomoe spinning madly, and glaring him deeply.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gulped _''this cannot be good.''_ he thought. He was right.


	3. Chapter 3 Explanations and Integrations

**Updated twice in one day :D I'm determined to get this fic moving along, as I really really love it. I'm trying to take my time, and not ruining the chapters, but it's really hard to not just have a brain puke onto my keyboard and send out some terrible work...lol**

**Thanks to anyone and everyone who reviewed last chapter, and I hope you all review again...I really do love reviews. So yeah, sporks, cockadoodledoo, cockatrices, snowdrops, cake, basketball, Hidan, Jashin, religion, inverted triangles, inverted pentagrams, pentagrams, star, star of david, jewish people, no pork, pork, pig, and more random things of such a description.**

**This chapter is just getting him back into Konoha, getting his disguise, and showing how his training works. It's not very plotty, but it is necessary. The next chapter will have a timeskip to him becoming a chuunin in the exams with everyone else, a month and three weeks after this...with his training schedule with the bunshins and Gai every...single...fucking...day.**

**Also, for any yaoi haters who are reading this story...it will be yaoi. When it gets to that, I will mark it so you can skip it, and it won't affect the plot if you do. If there is a problem with that, please stop reading now. I'm gay myself, and I'm writing a hetero fic alongside his one, so...yeah.**

**Anyway guys, hope you enjoy this chapter, and for the love of all that is Jashin...review.**

**Chapter Three: Explanations and Integrations.**

''N...Naruto! What happened? How did you get a Sharingan? _Where _did you get a Sharingan? How are you still alive?'' Sarutobi questioned, he paused not once and said everything with a single breath.

''C-calm down old man,'' Naruto said. His voice was no longer innocent, it sounded worn and rough. His throat was still torn open and his vocal chords were exposed- you could see them move with every word he spoke. ''I'll explain everything...and before you ask, no, no one else can have a shiny new Sharingan eye.'' the Hokage was stunned- Naruto thought he only wanted to know where he got the eye so he could give it to new ninja? Nonsense!

''Naruto, I didn't mean that. I only wanted to know where you got it, incase you had seen anyone you shouldn't have.''

''Oh Hokage-sama, I have seen plenty of things I should not have seen. I have experienced plenty of things I should never have had to experience, and I have been hurt more in the past 24 hours than most ninja in their life. I should really have left...but I haven't- because I have faith now. I have been given something to believe in.'' the croaky voice kept coming in stops and starts- the Hokage was surprised when blood began tricking down his chest from his throat, and he coughed up more blood as he spoke, but Naruto shook his hand to discourage taking action.

''Naruto, it is fantastic that you have something to believe in! Maybe it's something we have in common, like a nindo, or possibly thoughts on the village. Explain to me your new beliefs.'' The Hokage realised what he had just said was foolish as he caught a glipse of black flash across Naruto's singular blue eye. The black returned at the edge and began working it's way in, eventually covering his entire eye, leaving a black pupil, iris, and sclera mixed as if they had never been seperate. If he hadn't been surprised enough, it was all he could do not to cry out as a fire- a_ geniune_ burning flame- appeared in the freshly-made genin's eyes.

''Hokage-sama, I have found no new nindo. I have found no new ideas for the village, and it is impossible that you, or anyone else in the village follows my belief. I have discovered the glory of Jashin. The Lord Jashin, Lord of the Slaughter spoke to me, whilst I was dead. Do not regret burying me- I truly was deceased.'' Sarutobi was shocked, Naruto never spoke like that, not to him and not to anyone else. He had changed from the happy-go-lucky 7 year old he was into something completely different. ''Lord Jashin explained to me everything. He told me of his beliefs, of his religion on Earth which has few followers- but those who follow are devoted to him completely. He decided I had potential that was being wasted. He gave me some new abilities, which I would rather not disclose, and told me that I was to be his prophet. I must spread the word of Jashin. As for the Sharingan Eye, Lord Jashin gifted it to me so I could have advantages over the non-believers who would want to stop me from spreading Jashin's truths.''

The Hokage was sure human eyes were not supposed to be as wide as his were now. Jaws were also not meant to be as low as they were. ''Naruto, you found and spoke to Kami-sama whilst you were dead?''

''No. No. Lord Jashin and Kami are two different beings, with two very different ways of doing things, from what I was told. Kami is God. There is no leader of hell, but there are demons. One demon had a child with an angel, and the resulting offspring was the Divine Lord Jashin. Unlike Kami, who relishes in peace and calm, the Lord of Slaughter revells in hatred, pain, anger and death. He saved me not because he hated to a see a child die- do not think that for one moment. But the religion of Jashin is all about pain. One who does not understand pain does not, and can not have the right to inflict pain on others. He saved me, because he knew I understand pain. He knew I was the best choice to be his prophet.''

''You...You are alive because of a deal you made with the bastard son of a demon? You must renounce it Naruto! If you renounce and accept Kami-sama again, you will be spared from torment! Truly, these gifts he gave you are only to sway you over to his side, I know this for sure. We must take you to be purified of this, _Lord_ Jashin's taint.''

''If Kami is so powerful and benevolent, if Kami is so kind and helpful, then where was he when I was dying. Where was he, when two adult ANBU forces were ripping their way through my flesh like meat. Surely up in heaven, in the land of peace, watching down on us all as we are taught. So if he saw, and did not help, then I do not want to worship such a being. Jashin saw. My Lord saw, and he saved me. He gave me salvation, and now it is my task to do the same. He gave me _immortality, _Hokage-sama. Why else do you think I am in such a state and not dead?'' the Hokage knew Naruto was correct in that. He had every right not to be all too chummy with something that had left him to torture.

Naruto stood, and made his way toward the door, hand on the wall. ''I am going to return to my apartment, get some new clothes, heal my major wounds, and return to the academy on schedule tomorow. I shall give a false name, and they shall not be told who I am. Believe it.'' he said, the ending phrase a mockery of his previous childish innocence which believed he could do anything. This sounded full of hatred, sorrow, and defeat...Sarutobi shed another tear.

**Back in Naruto's Apartment.**

Naruto had started a bath running the moment he had got back to his apartment, and flicked on the kettle he would use to make some instant ramen. No way near the taste sensation he received from eating at Ichirakus, but unfortunately the ramen-shop owner was asleep at 11:43pm. Naruto knew he should be as well- but there was no time for sleep. He had to get to work if he didn't want people to recognise him as Naruto tomorow. Falling into his bath once it was finished, he knew what he had to do. A mask. And a completely different change of clothes...and no acting like a dobe. No more dead last. Jashin wanted him to become strong, and had gifted him with the means to do so- there was no way he was going to waste that. He decided that the next day, he would send some Kage Bunshin's down to the library in his new outfit (once he decided what it would be) and get them to take out as many scrolls as possible on ninjutsu's, genjutsu's, taijutsu's, and other general topics such as mathematics, science, anatomy, history and books on geography- he may be defeated at some point, but he knew there was no way he would let ignorance be the cause.

Eventually stumbling out of his bath, and clearing the huge chunks of mud and grass he just knew would clump up the drain, he gathered all the small insects which he could find still alive in his wounds, and put them in a small box. He would gift them to Shino tomorrow at the academy- what better way to get into his good graces as a new character? After they were all in a clear plastic box, he started looking for some new clothes. After eventually throwing out three quarters or more of clothes he owned, which were just multiple pairs of orange jackets, orange trousers, orange socks, orange boxer shorts, orange sneakers and a few orange shirts, he found what he was looking for. Tugging out a pair of black jeans and a really tight dark blue shirt, he laid them out on the bed. It was then, that completely naked, he begun his healing. He started on his leg. It took him forever, due to his poor chakra control and knowledge of healing (something he resolved to fix with his library clones) and some of the larger wounds simply had to be bound and made done with. After all, it didn't matter if it hurt. Jashin's gift would repair everything in time, and the pain was now understand and therefore disregarded.

He eventually gave up on the wounds, and just allowed them to stay. He didn't care, they could no longer truly hurt him. Picking up his jeans and shirt, he slipped them on quickly wasting no time. His boxers were now non-existant, so he resolved to buy more of them after academy time tomorrow. He also discarded his ninja sandals. Who's idea was it for murderous killers to wear...beach footwear? Naruto thought it was nonsense in the first place, but just did as he was told- but no more. Slipping on some steel-toe-cap work boots, which he decided were for true ninja and no one else, he padded the bottom with a thin layer of black soft rubber so his footfalls wouldn't make noise- something which could get a ninja killed easily.

Now for the most important part of his new being. His mask. Pulling out a metal gas mask he had bought after the villagers had tries to poison him, he set to work. It would be his new face, which everyone would know him by. Naruto was proud of his survival, so he left his scars on his hands on show, and he cut a hole in his shirt on both sides to show where the thick branch had completely penetrated his body. He would use these as a testament to Jashin. If Jashin could heal that, and allow him to live, then he could heal anything for anyone and allow them to live a happy life- if only they were to believe. Naruto wasn't stupid anymore. He knew it was unlikely that people would suddenly take the word of Jashin as gospel, and dump their fantastic ideals of Kami-sama just because some 'newcomer' to the village told them too. If Naruto was that foolish, he doubted Jashin would have chosen him as the prophet.

He worked into the early hours of the morning, and then right through them. He was mildly tired, but fascinated to find that it was not as if he exhausted as he knew he should be. Strapping on his finished mask, he looked in the mirror. He did not look like Naruto Uzumaki. His entire face was covered over with a thick layer of bandages, leaving only his eyes and nose-holes exposed, as the style of the tape which was stuck on his face by the ANBU he so completely loathed. He had left a small slit in the mouth area, but it was not enough to see through. He then put on his adapted gas mask. Its dual air filters had been crushed back into the mask, making them still completely usable, but not as extruding. The straps had been added to, and now there was a network of chaines and leather criss-crossing around his head, gripping his entire skull nearly tight enough to burst- but Naruto knew it wouldn't. For some reason, his skull was a lot harder than it had been- something else he attributed to his new bloodlines. Only small tufts of his blonde hair stood out of the mask, and his eyes seemed to glow from the black and white contrasts of leather and bandage. His Sharingan was covered up with a piece of bandage slightly lower than its companions, and his other eye, completely black with the fire within, was uncovered. On his forehead, the inverted triangle within the circle stood proudly in metal, sewn into his bandages.

He left his apartment as the sun became brighter, at around 8am. He was attracting lots of stares from the villagers- who was this completely odd fellow with a messed up mask and dressed almost completely in black. He had taken the time in the night to construct a basic leg which he controlled with chakra, and was therefore always slightly disadvantaged due to having to concentrate on it- but as his new concentrated self said, anything can become subconcious with time. He knew that before long, he wouldn't have to think about controlling his leg, it would just do it- and he had already made plans to simply burst his leg open and grow a new one once his Dead Bone Pulse bloodline skills were up to scratch.

**At the Academy**

''Okay kids, settle down, Choji stop eating in class, Shikamaru wake up, and Sakure please remove yourself from Sasuke, I'm sure he would feel better being able to breathe.'' Iruka said wearily. His bright demeanour was diminished greatly, and it was hard enough trying to keep a convincing fake when Hinata and Shino were sat together in the corner of the room barely holding back tears at the loss of Naruto. Iruka was working his way through the names, making sure everyone was there as he chided them for their inappropriate behaviour (truly inappropriate in the case of Ino attempting to grope Sasuke in an area he was quite clearly trying to keep away from her) until he reached a name he wasn't sure of.

''Okay, does anyone know who ''Hofuku-Tekina Yogen-Sha (Vengeful Prophet)'' is? I assume he's a new student, but I can't see anyone new here.'' Iruka said, craning his neck to see if the ''Vengeful Prophet'' was hidden in the back somewhere.

''Iruka-sensei, over here.'' Iruka spun around to see a boy stood in the doorway. He was wearing heavy black boots, which confused Iruka because as a chuunin, his skills should have detected such heavy footwear. The figure was wearing a pair of black jeans, and his hands had gaping holes in them which bled profusedly. There was a hole in his shirt at the front, showing a large scar which had healed over quite obviously rather recently, due to the small bloodstains and still rough scraps of skin around it. He was also wearing a large haori which was plain black and had no sleeves. It was his face that set Iruka's mind on fire. It was bandaged heavily, leaving only a few tufts of blond hair out of the top, and over it was a network of leather straps which met at the back, and they connected at the front in a gasmask with the filters crushed into the face. One eye was covered with a bandage, and the other was pure black with a fire inside it.

''Oh...Okay, Hofuka-san, please take a seat, and we will begin assigning teams for everyone. Before anyone says it's unfair that Hofuku-san did not take the genin exam, I have word from the Hokage himself he is of the right level.'' he said.

Walking up the steps, Naruto walked directly toward Shino and Hinata. Taking a seat to Shino's left, he thrust his hand deep into his haori and gripped a box. The entire room froze up as he withdrew the clear box from his haori, and held it out toward Shino. The Aburame tentatively took the box and peeled off the lid, to be granted the scent of dirt and insects. He looked in at the various centipedes and beetles which ran around within the dirt. He redirected his glances to Naruto and gave a slow nod, tucking the box inside of his jacket. Iruka assigned the Jonin senseis. Iruka said they would turn up to the Academy at regular time tomorrow to meet said senseis. Naruto was less than pleased to hear he would be stuck with the Emo-boy wonder and the Fan-girlish banshee who did nothing but fawn over said Emo the end he was less than pleased, but when his clones all disappeared from inside his apartment one at a time, the flood of information was a little much- but once he adjusted, he grasped the information and ran through the entire set of articles his clones had absorbed. He knew if he truly wanted to progress, he needed to read faster.

His flood of information contained a large amount of information on each different element. Aware that his chakra control was too lax at the moment to actually learn them, he continually forced himself through handsigns and methods of meditation until both his head and his hands hurt. And then he left his apartment and went to a training field. There, he worked through taijutsu styles at a painfully slow pace, forcing himself to restart his forms every single time he made a mistake. It took fifty tries before he had made his entire way through his forms without a single mess up. But he wasn't tired- his incredible stamina allowed him to keep going, progressively faster and faster until he had gone through each one full speed over 20 times. He was pouring with sweat and his muscles ached with the buildup of lactic acid.

From the corner of his vision, he spotted a man with a shiny bowl cut and a green spandex suit and what looked like an adolescent clone of him doing laps, running towards him. Straightening his back and forcing himself to slow his breathing, he waited until the men stopped.

''Gai-san! Gai-san!'' Naruto recognised him from seeing him around Konoha. He was famous for his incredible taijutsu skills and amazing physical conditioning- who better to train Naruto in taijutsu than Konoha's best?

''YES, MY MASKED FRIEND? YOU HAVE CALLED UPON ME WHILST I'M FANNING THE FLAMES OF THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH, PLEASE CONTINUE SO I DO NOT HAVE TO CEASE MY FIRE-STOKING FOR LONG!'' the green beast yelled, as his clone yelled ''YOSH'' at every possible opportunity.

''Gai-san, I would like to inquire as to whether or not you will teach me the art of taijutsu. I believe it is equally as important as ninjutsu, and only recently have I realised I am woefully lacking in skill. In your free time, would you mind helping me train myself physically, and perfect my taijutsu.'' he asked.

''YOSH! GAI-SENSEI AND I CAN TRAIN YOU TO USE THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH IN IT'S MOST POWERFUL FORMS! ALLOW US TO TRAIN YOU!''

''LEE!''

''GAI-SENSEI!''

''LEE!''

''GAI-SENSEI!''

The two continued whilst Naruto heavily sweatdropped...taking it as a yes, he began to run with them. The three of them run several times around Konoha itself. They eventually stopped running, and Naruto was ready to drop. He wanted to simply fall over and die right there- although he knew his immortality would prevent him from doing just that. He did a double-take, when he saw Gai and Lee high five, hug, and then begin various hundreds of pushups, pullups, crunches, and stress excercises on their limbs. Naruto- not one to be outclassed- immediately jumped up from his spot on the floor, and began to do the motions himself. 3 hours and over 4000 calories burned later, he dropped himself uselessly in his bed and fell to sleep completely clothed and masked. The Kage Bunshins he had made freshly popped out of existance, and knowledge jammed itself into his tired brain.

If there was one thing Naruto knew, it was that at this rate, it would not take him long to become the most powerful ninja in the word...he was not cocky, merely confident.

Highly confident.


	4. Chapter 4 Meetings

**Chapter Four of The True Priest of Jashin! I hope you guys like it. I was notified of some plot holes and small mistakes on part in previous chapters. I went back to them, and corrected anything I saw that was out of place, so hopefully they're ok now. If you see anything that you think requires further explanation, is phrased unclearly, or just makes no sense, point it out to me if you like. I'm not a perfect writer (although I try) and I do make mistakes- many.**

**I'm writing this chapter with a broken space bar, no t and no m on my keyboard, so every time you see a space or one of those letters, I had to really hammer the key at least twice to get it to work- this is what caused this chapter to be posted so late in the day. However! posted it is, and therefore ready for your reading pleasure. In addition, this fic chapter has 3000 words exactly. **

**So yes, I got some great reviews on the last few chapters (Shout out to Tobi Fan 321 for a trio of excellent reviews) and to answer his question: yes, this may well end up as a harem fic although I don't have plans for it to do so yet. Think about it...Naruto is a Jashinist in this- and who's the only other person in the Naruto universe who also answers to the call of Jashin?**

**EXACTLY. Haha.**

**Anyway, summary of this chapter: Naruto as Hofuku, Sakura as the Pink Banshee and Sasuke as the emo king meet Kakashi, their apathetic sensei and go through the ol' bell examination. We get to see some of Naruto's new skills in this fic chapter as well as a pwned Sasuke and a pathetic Sakura. This chapter also shows Naruto's growth in intelligence during the bell challenge, and how his physical speed/strength has improved. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW.**

**ENJOY**

_**Chapter Four: Meeting and Moving Out.**_

Naruto was sat in the academy next to Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuuga. He had kept quiet for the most part, completely unlike his old self, and had tried his best to draw as little attention to himself as possible- although his odd attire and mask drew attention whether he liked it or not. One particular itch he was just begging to scratch was his new teammate, Sasuke Uchiha, who was currently glaring a hole in the back of his head as if literally trying to make him explode from a distance.

One by one, teams filtered out. Shino, Kiba and Hinata dissapeared with newly appointed Jonin Kurenai Yuuhi, who looked friendly and she was directly on time- something the New Naruto appreciated. Asuma Sarutob was only slightly late, and he picked up his team of Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji. The plans were to to create a second generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho team, which was previously made up of their parents, Inoichi, Shikaku and Chouza. You could practically smell the troublesome pouring off of Shikamaru's bored form as he trudged out of the door. There was no new team 9, as the team which was assembled last year was still going on. Naruto had learnt that Gai was Lee's sensei (which surprised him greatly...not) and despite their huge personalities, the Hokage had managed to squeeze an egocentric Hyuuga by the name of Neji, and a weapons mistress called TenTen into the team.

Team Seven was angered, suffice it to say. Naruto was using all of his self restrain as Hofuku, to prevent himself from ranting and raving as Naruto about the fact that his sensei was coming up for three hours late. Naruto was determined to make himself at least sensible- his Lord would not appreciate a stupid prophet- and as such he really was doing his best to keep himself under control. Sasuke had a visible tick in the form of the small vein pulsing in his temple at a rate which made it nearly impossible for him not to spring a leak. Sakura, the annoying banshee that she is, didn't really care. After all, whilst incurably angry at her sensei, she could not get mad a someone who allowed her 3 hours of completely unhindered Sasuke-Staring time!

As the fourth hour was approaching, a figure walked through the door. The first thing that struck them was how his left eye was covered by a hitai-ate, much in the same way that Naruto's right eye was covered in a bandage. He was wearing a lower face mask, which covered much the same area as Naruto's modified gas mask. Aside from that, and his over the top grey hair, he looked generally the same as any other village Jonin.

'''YOU! WERE LATE!'' the banshee erupted. Naruto had to visibly keep himself from screaming back, by discretely covering his ears.

''Hmm...my first impression of you...I hate you. Meet me on the roof in 10 minutes.'' the Jonin said in a nonchalant voice, showing he had clearly ignored whatever Sakura had yelled at him. He dissapeared in a swirl of leaves and reappeared alone on the roof. Flicking out his orange book, he began to read. _''Genius again Hatake...10 more minutes of Icha Icha goodness.''_ he thought to himself with a soft smile.

10 minutes later, the three Genin appeared on the roof, just in time to see their sensei flick the book back into his pocket, face visibly downtrodden at the prospect of being without his Icha Icha book for a short amount of time. Naruto recognised the book- his shadow clones had seen it in the library in the adult section when he was crossing the aisle for the books on raiton jutsu's. His favourite part of the day was now receiving any information which his clones picked up, and he was already anxious to see the results of the days mind training.

''Hmm. I think we should all start off by getting to know each other first. Introduce yourselves.''

''Introduce ourselves? What should we say?'' Sakura said, predictably stupid. For someone who had graduated with the most book smarts in the academy for a kunoichi, she was very stupid.

''Things you like...things you hate...dreams for the future...hobbies...things like that.'' the Jonin said, still sounding apathetic.

''Why don't you tell us about yourself first? Show us how it is done, and how it's supposed to work.'' Naruto said, keeping his voice level as he always- Hofuku was a level headed genin.

''Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate...I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future...never really thought about it. As for my hobbies...I have lots of hobbies.'' he finished lazily- the genin were annoyed..all he really told was his name!

''Yo, Pinky, you're up first.'' he said, his voice even more bored than it had been beforehand.

''I'm Sakura Haruno! What I like...I mean, the person I like...'' she looked dreamily over to Sasuke. ''My hobby is...uhh..'' she once again looked at the Uchiha. ''My dream for the future is...'' this time she geniunely gave a fangirlish squeal, hiding her face in her hands.

''And...what do you hate?'' Kakashi prompted.

''It used to be NARUTO! But since he left, I guess it's Ino-pig!'' she said loudly, and angrily.

''You next, the broody one.''

''My name...is Sasuke Uchiha, I hate a lot things and I don't particularly like anything. What I have, is not a dream...because I will make it a reality. I'm going to kill a _certain_ man and restore my clan.'' Everything went quiet for a few seconds.

''Overdramatic, methinks Sasuke.'' Kakashi spun to see the new speaker. He had never heard the boys voice before, but it sounded like his throat had been put through a cheesegrater- which wasn't far off from the actual damage. ''My name is Hofuku-Tekina Yogen-Sha. I like training and mastering as much as I can. I hate stuck up bastards, women who fawn over stuck up bastards for no point and lazy people who turn up four hours late to meetings. My dreams for the future...I want to become as strong as I can and master as much as I have the ability to do. And my hobbies? Training, reading, organising my scroll collection and inventing ninjutsu's.'' he finished, his throat geniunely hurting at the end. It was the most he had spoken in a long time.

''Well that's lovely Chenso-nodo (chainsaw throat),'' Kakashi replied. ''Although it sounds like all three of you need more of a social life. Alright, turn up to training ground seven at 8am tomorrow, and don't eat breakfast. You'll just be sick.'' and with that he dissapeared in yet another barrage of leaves left by his shunshin.

''Just perfect. See you guys.'' and with that, Naruto had jumped from the side of the building and landed so hard he could feel the shake right through his wooden leg. He had padded it out so that if you didn't know that it was false, it was almost impossible to tell it was false. He had spent three full hours working on its construction.

Rushing home, he absorbed all the new information he had learnt from his clones. Revelling in his knowledge, he ran through images of handsigns and and phrases in his mind, determined to get them solid. It would be his first performance as Hofuku tomorrow in front of Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke- he refused to give up and let himself look foolish. Sending a few Kage Bunshins out for physical training with Lee and Gai, Naruto ran a bath. Tomorrow would be a hard day, he could see it already.

After his bath, he spent another three hours working on his newest technique. No matter how hard he looked, he was unable to find any Darkness, Light, Ying or Yang jutsu's or powers. Because of this, he had spent most of his alone time thinking up various jutsu's, testing them small scale, correcting the jutsu's and working on getting them refined. Due to his bunshins, the process was always speeded up, but he only had one jutsu of each type, and two for Darkness- it still took forever to create a jutsu. His chakra control had increased exponentially due to the extra training from his bunshins, but it was still far from optimum. Sometimes he exerted far too much chakra on one technique, and left himself prey to a kick or punch from Lee in sparring. He knew he had to increase his control, but he knew baby steps were the way to go.

_**The Next Day at Training Ground Seven- 2 hours late.**_

''Hey guys!'' Kakashi waved as he walked up to them slowly, enjoying his stroll. He received a venomous glare from Sakura, a look of indifference from Sasuke and an emotion he could not completely identify in the blackened fiery eyes of Hofuku.

''Alright guys, today we're going to have a challenge. I have with me, two bells.'' He held up said bells. ''You three have until noon to retrieve the bells from me.''

''BUT SENSEI, THERE ARE THREE OF US AND ONLY TWO BELLS!'' Sakura screeched at the Jonin causing him to wince.

''Exactly. Only two of you will pass. The other one will return to the academy and redo their entire academy career.'' he smiled. Hofuku immediately knew something was off.

Alright...start.'' Kakashi said,pulling out a familiar orange book from his pocket and beginning to read.

Naruto and Sakura immediately ran off, hiding up in the trees. Naruto so that he could scope out Kakashi's abilities, and Sakura because she was scared to fight a Jonin. Sasuke charged forward, yelling the overall crap about how he had to win because as an Uchiha he was better than everyone else, and he could beat anyone. Letting loose a few fire jutsu's, Naruto quickly disgarded the idea of Sasuke as a rival- he was too driven for revenge, too cold hearted and way too underskilled. Naruto knew he was not as powerful as Kakashi, and he was easily stronger than Sasuke- and he had already gathered the idea of the test.

He had used logic to deduce that as a team who was supposed to value teamwork above all other things, Kakashi had split them apart in order to test them. He was seeing if they would abandon each other as teammates and fight each other for the bells, and he wanted to see if any of them was smart enough to work out the challenge. Luckily, Naruto had been doing a lot of reading on this subject, and remembered seeing that the Yondaime had used this method to set his own Genin team straight back before the Kyuubi attack.

Whilst Sasuke was battling himself weary against the easily superior jonin- who was still fighting with he book in his hand- Naruto crept around in the trees, to behind where the Jonin was stood. Knowing Kakashi would not be stupid enough to believe he was still just there, he left a Kage bunshin in his place so as not to sell out his own technique. He glanced over to Sakura's spot...she was still frozen in fear. At seeing Kakashi appear out of the dirt and pull Sasuke down into the mud up to his neck, she promptly fainted and fell out of the tree, alerting everyone to her prescence. Prior, she had been hiding her chakra quite admirably- but it wasn't difficult. After all, it couldn't possibly be difficult to hide something that small.

Naruto's bunshin immediately jumped out of the tree, charging directly towards the Jonin. As he leant backwards to avoid a punch from the considerably slower genin (who was still faster than most chuunins) he noticed a shuriken fly out of the tree immediately behind him, sticking into the dirt a few centimetres away from his foot. Smirking, he appreciated his own talent at dodging, and his opponents lack of skill at throwing. Just as he was about to pat himself on the back, to shuriken practically exploded into smoke, sending the Jonin into a small coughing fit, and not being able to dodge as the shuriken (which was now a kunai wielding Hofuku) drove a kunai into his and pleased with his genin's planning skills, hopped backwards and observed the genins reaction as he harshly pulled the kunai from his leg.

Nothing. Hofuku began flashing through handsigns, some of which he was sure he had never seen before. A stream of 10 handsigns later, and more than a little confusion at the six unfamiliar ones, Kakashi jumped swiftly, losing his sandal as the genin shouted ''**Darkness Style: Black Negation Cannon!''.** The cannon of pure black filled with small crackles of white took his sandal and all but dissolved his foot into the darkness, and when he landed, he had to hobble slightly in order to stay on his foot. That's right, foot. The cannon had removed his left foot entirely.

''What jutsu was that?'' he asked. ''Some of those handsigns were performed incorrectly.''

''Wrong, Kakashi-sensei. Those were handsigns I modified to suit my own cause. Did you like it? It's my own original jutsu aswell. It completely negates anything which gets hit by it- sucking the item or organism into the darkness, never to escape.

The Jonin was shocked at this. A brand new jutsu, the genin had invented himself with that kind of power? It was quite clearly at least a B rank jutsu, if not an A rank at full power! He jumped performed a substitution and was replaced by a log- which was instantly peppered with kunai and shuriken. Sasuke had finally gotten dug out of the hole by a clearly distressed Sakura.

''How was it so fast, Chenso-nodo? I was sure I had avoided it.'' he said from his perch in the tree to their left.

''Think about it. What's the only thing on the planet which moves as quickly as light? Darkness. Whenever light is gone, darkness is there immediately- there is no waiting. The very fact you dodged at all attests to your legendary speed Kakashi-sensei. And before you ask, no I don't have any more Darkness techniques...I only invented the style a week and a half ago.'' Hofuku finished in his grating voice.

Kakashi went completely white- if it was possible to be paler than he already was. ONLY A WEEK? This kid looked to be a prodigy the same level of Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, if not higher!

''However sensei,'' Hofuku called, snapping Kakashi out of his reverie. ''It's not the only style I've been working on creating. **Light Style: Instant Light Manipulation!''** the genin yelled, finishing up a series of one handed handsigns Kakashi didn't even notice he was performing. The small amount of light his eyes could perceive through his shaded spot immediately dimmed. He looked toward Hofuku who was slowly turning his hand, as if he were controlling the dimmer switch on a light. Kakashi was entirely blind now- not quite ready to reveal his Sharingan to the genin for the sake of a small mock-examination.

He felt a hard tug at his waist and knew the bells had been taken. As light returned to his perception, he looked at Naruto, who was holding both bells in one hand. Slowly, the masked genin turned and distributed the bells to both Sakura and Sasuke.

''I don't need the bell from you, Usuratonkachi, I could get it myself.'' the Uchiha said with no small amount of arrogance.

''Yes, Yes, I'm sure you could. But I don't care. It's quite obvious this whole thing is about teamwork, and if I don't give you the bell it would have been a one sided effort.'' with that, he dropped the bell into the Uchiha's now gaping mouth and turned to face Kakashi.

''So Sensei...did we pass?''

''Hai, Hofuku-san, you passed with flying colours!'' with that, the Jonin repeated instructions for them to meet up again the day following, and dissapeared in a swirl of leaves- quickly followed by a Naruto dashing off into the trees,ignoring Sasuke's venomous glare. Meanwhile, Kakashi was in the hospital- having a false foot made to replace the one he had lost to his genin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey my loyal readers! I got a few reviews from some people pointing out some mistakes I've made about the timeline, and a few linguistic faux pas. Bearing these in mind, I have gone back and beta'd all the previous chapters. I hadn't beta'd them at the time, and going back I noticed your complaints were very well founded- I found it a little difficult to read with the mistakes, so hopefully now it's okay :D **

**I have betaed this chapter, and will do for all the chapters following as well so hopefully there won't be any repeats of my massive errors. If you see any I have missed, or anything which I have phrased badly, feel free to point it out- as I've said before, I am less than a perfect writer and appreciate people helping me improve my stories. **

**This chapters gets a lot done- the entire Land of Waves arc up to after the first Zabuza clash, in fact. It contains some important stuff, some not so important stuff, some funny stuff (in my opinion) and continued use of Kakashi's Chenso-nodo nickname for Naruto. Despite his throat healing, his voice is still a bit messed up and therefore- chainsaw throat. The Land of Waves arc will be a little different, but I can mainly attribute that to Naruto's new skills. This one has a time skip as well- not too long, but long enough for Naruto to have mastered his Darkness Style: Dark Negation Cannon, and developed a few new techniques. It also holds to revelation of Naruto's Sharingan- and the ever so wonderful to write reaction of Sasuke.**

**So guys, enjoy, and goddamit, review!**

_**Chapter Five: We Can Make It As A Team.**_

Naruto had spent every spare minute of every spare day training, reading, researching, inventing, and essentially doing as much as he humanly could to improve himself as a shinobi. He had even taken to sleeping in shifts, leaving kage bunshins to his training whilst he slept, and then taking over again when he had woke up. His technique, speed at handsigns, power of jutsu's, taijutsu skill and his mental knowledge had improve drastically- enough to put him on par with most low level Jonin, and in the few moments he had trained using his Dead Bone Pulse, he had improved to high Jonin level. He was yet to use them in front of his team, and he knew he was far from perfect with them, but he had used them as well as he could.

Naruto had also reached a level of chakra control where his leg control was now second nature. His left leg was now completely supported using the minimum levels of chakra needed, and he no longer needed to concentrate on maininting it.

''Kakashi-sensei.''

''Yes, Chenso-nodo?'' the apathetic Jonin responded.

''Can we do a higher rank mission now? We have captured the cat without flaws almost 10 times today alone, and we have completely cleared out practically every gutter and garden in Konoha over the last two weeks. Please, get us a higher rank. Our teamwork is ready for it.'' Naruto said quite clearly, his voice maintaining a level of apathy almost like that of Kakashi's himself.

''Hmm, okay Chenso, you can ask the Hokage when we go for our next mission...in 5 minutes.'' and with that, Kakashi shunshined into no-where.

It had taken Naruto less than two minutes to make his way from Training Ground Seven all the way across to the Hokage Tower. In the past, the trip would have taken Naruto twice as long, if not even longer, but due to his new training and physical conditioning he was now capable of making it almost as fast as anyone could run. He still was no way near the speed of Lee or Gai, but considering his previous state, he thought it was pretty impressive.

Swiftly arriving in The Hokages office, Naruto was pleased with himself- he had arrived before both Sakura and Sasuke.

Sakura and Sasuke took another few minutes to arrive, but by the time they did, Naruto had already combined guilt tripping and the eye of Jashin to get the Hokage to give them a higher ranked missions. After the torture of D ranks for so long, they were finally getting a C-rank, and one which allowed them to get out of the village too!

''Okay, you will have to escort the bridge builder Tazuna back to his home in the Land of Waves. He is at danger from bandits who might want to hurt him- and as a new genin team, it is your duty to protect him. If anything goes wrong, make sure to listen to Kakashi and follow his orders.'' the Hokage said. Usually he had such a calm demeanour (as long as he was not looking at Naruto in his Hofuku guise) but this time he was completely serious. It appeared that this was the guise of a Hokage giving a higher ranked mission- and Naruto had to say he enjoyed seeing the Hokage exert his power.

''Yes Hokage-sama. We will follow the rules.'' the team said in unison, Sasuke's voice clearly giving off distain from having to take orders from someone he saw as lower than him- even if it was the Hokage, so called God of Shinobi.

''Okay Tazuna, you can come in now.'' the Hokage called in a louder voice. The door behind him and to his left swung open, and an old bearded man in gray clothing holding a bottle of sake walked in. ''This is Tazuna, the bridge builder, and you will protect him back to his home.''

''These brats are the ones who are going to protect me? They look like idiots! Especially the one with the duck-butt hair.'' Tazuna said, gesturing toward Sasuke- who was obviously not pleased with the comment.

Naruto just stared at the bridge builder. This guy couldn't be serious? The amount of sake he had drunk, combined with his less than admirable form just made it more and more unlikely for him to be bridge builder, or anyone else of that leve of importance. Naruto almost yelled at the man for being so unprofessional, but he realised he would do that kind of thing, whereas Hofuku would not. Using this rule, he prevented himself from yelling out at the bridge builder. He knew if he did that, he would be the only one to look silly.

''Okay, lets go!'' Kakashi said, his voice jovial and his eye in that semi circle the entire time had come to know as Kakashi's version of a smile. It was usually on his face as he read his Icha Icha novels, or after watching Sasuke achieve something significant.

_**Ten Minutes Later**_

The team had met up with Tazuna at the main gate after packing a few things necassary for a long term trip. For Naruto it was a few changes of clothes, some weaponry and some food. For Sasuke it was essentially the same. For Sakura, it was a lot of makeup to make herself look pretty for her Sasuke. Despite the fact that she was a ninja, she couldn't have herself looking less than perfect for her Sasuke-kun now,could she? It was ridiculous to ask Sakura to act professional, especially when her Jonin sensei was someone as laid back as Kakashi.

They had set off along the main road. Kakashi had concluded that they were less likely to be ambushed if they were in plain sight- it was just common sense, and basic training he had recieved from ANBU. If you were on a mission which did not require stealth, then stay out in the open. It gave you more room to maneuver and less room for a surprise attack. It hadn't been long travelling along the straight road, maybe half an hour or an hour before they spotted something not quite right.

It was a hot day in Konoha, odd for the time of year but still warm. It had not rained at all for five or six days, and as far as everyone knew, everything was dry. Yet there was a huge puddle, located just off to the left of the main road- completely untouched by the weather. Immediately Kakashi was on alert, Naruto suspected something and Sasuke was prepared for something from seeing the minute tensing motion Hofuku had made. Sakura was wondering whether pink or red lip-stick would be perfect for her first kiss with Sasuke.

As they passed the puddle, there was a soft splashing noise from behind them, and when they swung around, two ninja had emerged from the puddle. Kakashi knew he was right- Kiri ninja. From the slashes in the headband, Kakashi concluded they were missing nins, but obviously not too highly ranked or they would have known not to make a puddle as disguise in hot weather.

They were mostly masked, and had strange weaponry- clawed gloves with a chain connecting them. Running forward, they wrapped the chain quickly around Kakashi and ripped. The Jonin was ripped to pieces, and as they watched onwards Sakura screamed so loudly Naruto thought he could almost taste the sound...yeah, that bad.

Naruto immediately noted the leaves which shook violently off to his left, and the small amount of gray hair his Jashin eye picked up through the bush. Clever Kakashi, using a clone and seeing if his team could fend for themselves.

The two ninja immediately appeared behind Sakura, and whispered ''The second one.''

At this, Sakura's breath caught in her throat and she began to panic...she was going to die and she knew it. As the clawed hands came down upon her, the chain was intercepted by a shuriken thrown by Sasuke. The shuriken dragged the chain, and locked it into the bark of a tree not far off of their position. The missing nin pulled on the chain, and just as it was about to come free, the kunai which Hofuku had released moments earlier stuck within the hole in the shurikens center, locking it dead.

The duo of missing nins pulled harder, and were only met with the grating sound of chain against shuriken against kunai. The one on the left was met with a harsh kick from Sasuke, and the one on the right was caught in the chin with a harsh hook from Naruto, which served to send them flying in opposite directions unravelling the chain and allowing the ninja to run free. They ran directly towards the bridge builder, and Sakura had an internal panic. After bullying herself into action, she moved into the way of the ninja.

She raised a kunai and closed her eyes, hoping for the best, when a choking sound was heard from in front of her. As she slowly opened her eyes, she surveyed the battle area. Sasuke had managed to subdue and pin the smaller enemy down against a tree, dual kunai through his right wrist keeping him in the same spot. Naruto was stood in front of her, his thick arm wrapped around the nin's throat, cutting off his air supply and providing the source of the choking noise.

''Hey guys, nice work!'' Kakashi said, strolling nonchalantly out of the bush directly into a terrified Sakura's line of sight. Glancing toward the spot where Kakashi's body had fallen, she spotted only a pile of small logs... replacement jutsu.

Kakashi delivered a quick strike to the trapped enemy, who went limp and fell against him. Pulling the blades directly from his hand, and giving them back to Sasuke, he left both ninja laying in a pile near the tree. The punishment done on the larger ones throat from Naruto's harsh capture had already bruised.

''Good teamwork, Sasuke, Hofuku. Sakura, I'm sorry for dissapearing...I just didn't think you'd freeze like that and do nothing useful.'' he said flippantly, not realising the impact his words had on the genin.

They set off again, Sakura downhearted by Kakashi's words, but unable to deny them. Hofuku and Sasuke had worked quickly and efficiently, a well oiled machine taking down their opponents without hesitation and assisting each other as necassary. She had merely watched as the two boys- who weren't even very fond of each other- had set aside their differences and worked perfectly to complete their mission, and after her awe came her realisation, and furthermore depression- she had been useless.

After that, the journey to the Land of Waves was uneventful. They had reached the coast rather easily and were travelling through the forest with Tazuna. Kakashi had informed them that at their current pace, they would probably reach the city by dusk, and have time for a bite to eat before bed- something which greatly pleased the hungry genin. Sasuke was loathe to admit he had a human weakness, but even the Uchiha needed food to function. Robotics was not a feature of his famed Sharingan.

As they approached the exit to the forest, near the large lake, Naruto sent a kunai flying into a nearby bush, which had shook violently as if someone was within. Curious about the boys reasoning, Kakashi approached the bush. Looking over, he saw a small white rabbit cowering below where the kunai had lodged itself into the tree.

''Guys, I'm pretty sure something is wrong here. Rabbit's aren't this colour this time of year...the only way it could be coloured this way is if it were kept indoors all of its life for use...as a substition method! Everyone get down!'' Kakashi yelled.

The entire genin team and the bridge builder ducked to the floor as a large sword, taller than the genin, rushed past exactly where their heads were seconds previously and lodged itself in the large tree. Before the blade could begin vibrating and creating the bell like tones that quickly moving metal was known for, two large feet landed on its handle- followed by a person. He was tall, probably taller than Kakashi although Naruto couldn't quite tell from the distance. He was muscular, and was wearing mostly black and white camouflage and pinstriped trousers. The only thing covering his torso was a sword belt, which had a loop on the back- probably where his sword stayed whenever he wasn't murderering for the day. Half of his face was covered in bandages, and his tousled short brown hair was mostly covered by his headband which faced off to the side.

''You're Zabuza Momochi... exiled ninja from Kirigakure no Sato...'' Kakashi said slowly.

''Hm...exiled ninja, eh?'' Hofuku said, more to himself than anyone else.

''Huh...if he's our opponent, I might need this.'' Kakashi raised his hand and began lifting his headband slowly.

''Kakashi of the Sharingan eye, eh? Did I get that right?'' the mysterious man asked in his deep voice. Sasuke started at this. Sharingan? Kakashi obviously wasn't an Uchiha, so where on earth did he get a functioning Sharingan?

''Kakashi-sensei, do you really think you'll need the Sharingan?'' Naruto asked, his voice loud and confident.

''Hai Hofuku. Zabuza is a powerful ninja.'' was the given reply.

''Okay sensei. I guess I should use this then.'' he said. Raising his hand, Naruto grasped the bandage covering his right eye, and slowly raised it, revealing a dual tomoe'd Sharingan firmly in his head. Sasuke started again.

''When was this day they were handing out Sharingan's like it was candy?'' he raged, moving towards Naruto. Kakashi was equally stunned, although less potentially violent about the revelation.

''Sasuke...leave it. We'll be check him out later, for now we need to fight.''

''Sorry to interrupt your kiddy-party...I'm going to need you to hand over the bridge builder.'' Zabuza said, his voice loud and confident. ''Although I am amused that it appears almost everyone has a Sharingan except the one who should...ahah.''

''Zabuza...we don't have to kill you,'' Hofuku began. ''Repent, and pledge yourself to Jashin and he can save you from death. The pain you will feel will allow you to live more gloriously than previously, and you can join me in spreading the word of Jashin.''

''Boy, what are you talking about? Some new bullshit cult?'' Zabuza started, before having to swing wildly to the left to avoid a pair of kunai.

''I suppose there is no rest for the wicked. Your soul is tainted, I can see it with my eye- my Shinpan No Me (**Eye of Judgement, correct me if I'm wrong**). You cannot join me, and you cannot will yourself to listen. You must be a sacrifice.'' with tha, the genin began flashing through the handsigns at a furious pace, surprising both Zabuza and Kakashi.

''Hehe, looks like you've got yourself a kid with balls. But it takes more than that to make yourself a ninja in my book, Kakashi!'' Zabuza said, lauching himself toward the Jonin. Landing harshly, and swinging his sword, he was surprised when a large wave of Killing Intent wrapped over him. ''Wow Kakashi, you've got some crazy hate there.'' he said through gritted teeth, bracing himself against the pressure. To his surprise, he noticed Kakashi - as well as Sasuke and Sakura- were frozen also in the Killing Intent. Flashing his eyes towards the kid in the mask, he noticed the waves of pressure coming off of him as the hand signs progressed at a speedy pace.

''**Lightening Release: Electromagnetic Murder.'' **the boy spoke, releasing harsh waves of lightening which spread quickly, catching onto the paralysed Zabuza's sword, and quickly conducting through the blade. Zabuza twitched his fingers, and dropped the sword just in time to prevent himself being killed, but he was pleasantly surprised at the genin's talent.

''Nice shot, but you'll have to try harder.'' Zabuza said, the mist spreading thickly over the area and clouding everyone's vision. Naruto's left eye, however, tracked Zabuza through the mist from his evil aura. As the sword came from behind him, slashing hard and fast, the Kiri nin was shocked to see his blade slice through thin air. He saw the genin roll off towards the left, and struck out with his leg-causing the lightening clone to dissapear, numbing his leg. _''Well, I guess now I know his affinity''_ the Kiri nin said to himself.

Zabuza himself shifted completely to the right, avoiding Kakashi's fist, which came flying towards his face. The two engaged in a taijutsu battle, Kakashi defending from the giant sword with a puny kunai which was somehow repelling the weapon away. Kakashi was surprised to see a lightening jutsu from Hofuku. Earlier, his genin had shown considerable power in a different element- albiet one he hadn't seen before- so why was he so proficient at such an age? If he was able to use two elements, he was easily above most standard Jonin in terms of elemental manipulation.

Suddenly, a ball of lightening came jumping from the mist, barely skimming Zabuza's left arm and singeing the skin, leaving a crispy blackened patch of flesh in it's wake. Hissing in pain, Zabuza swung again, this time cracking, then shattering Kakashi's kunai. He made a few brief handsigns, and then Kakashi was out of action- a water clone stood maintaining a swirling water prison for the Jonin.

Zabuza charged towards the bridge builder, determined to get his victim. As he moved in, a large ball of fire was launched at him from Sasuke.

''Hmm, looks like this team has two capable genin... but back where I came from, I had to kill the entire graduating class to become a genin, there's not a chance in hell of you bastards beating me!'' he swung down, narrowly missing the shifting Uchiha, and using the back of his hand to block the fist coming towards his face. From the corner of his eye, Zabuza could see the boy who had attacked earlier running towards him. Moving his sword quickly, his sword passed through the boy easily. His chest began leaking a clear fluid and Zabuza smirked in...wait...a clear fluid? A water clone! Zabuza turned just in time to catch a fist to the face, and a kunai to the upper arm before he could get away.

''Wow...for a genin, you've got me impressed. But it'll take more than that to beat me.'' Zabuza said cockily.

''You insulted Lord Jashin- there is no escape. Jashin demands my first sacrifice, and you shall be the one I give to him.'' Hofuku said, blurring out of sight with speed only seen in Jonins. Slashing forward, his kunai barely missed a bending Zabuza.

Falling back, Naruto began a few handsigns. ''Sasuke...cover me.'' he said, working through them at a solid pace.

The Uchiha moved forward, kunai in hand, ready to fight. He swung towards Zabuza, and the Kiri nin swung back, his much heavier sword battering away the kunai held by the physically weaker man. The two traded blows, Sasuke always managing to keep his ground but not really moving forward like Hofuku had been. He resented the bandaged bastard, and resolved to unmask him later. The only reason he would wear such a mask would be a deformity, and Sasuke would reveal it and re-claim his place as the best genin. Ducking around the blade, he quickly released a secondary Karyu Endan flame, which absorbed and then evaporated the Water clone that Zabuza had left behind. Turning, he saw the real Zabuza deliver a firm backhand to Sakura, knocking her out. He began advancing on the bridge builder...

...when a huge flash of white crushed him into a tree. ''**Light Style: Blinding Pressurised Rush!'' **Hofuku said, once again showing a new element which was in his arsenal. Sasuke had run in the opposite direction, eliminating the clone and freeing Kakashi just in time to see the attack send the Jonin level missing ninja into a tree and to his knees without making the genin break a sweat.

Just as Kakashi was beginning to move forward again, he saw a long haired figure in a hunter-nin mask hurl two senbon toward Zabuza. Sticking in his neck, the Kiri nin's eyes rolled back into his head as the senbon took effect.

''I will take him elsewhere, and dispose of the body.'' the hunter-nin said, picking up Zabuza's body and slinging it over his shoulder. Kakashi sighed as the hunter-nin began to walk away, but swung around from a growl emitted from his overly-powerful, Sharingan equipped genin.

''No! Lord Jashin demands his sacrifice, I shan't let you take such an amazing prize from me! I have to sacrifice him!'' the genin said, holding up his hand. From in between his elbow joint, a thick bone shot out, ripping the skin and sending a shower of blood over the bodies of Sakura and the bridge builder. Utilising his Dead Bone Pulse, the bone flashed through the air at a nearly blinding pace, narrowing out towards to end to maintain velocity. Crossing the distance between him and the hunter in less than a second, the bone entered under Zabuza's jaw sharply, and came out of the back of his head, carrying blood and brain with it. A harsh crack was all it took to show the Kiri nin was completely annihilated. The hunter nin looked mildly surprised, and then ran off, still carrying to corpse.

The bone slid with a sickening thud back into the genins arm, the wound staying open, slowly healing- but fast enough for the eye to still see. Kakashi and Sasuke watched in morbid fascination as Naruto strode over to the pool of Zabuza's blood, and wiped some on his inverted triangle which was on his forehead. It was all Sasuke could do to keep from throwing up- and the bridgebuilder simply did throw up.

''Kakashi-sensei...what the _fuck_ was that?'' Sasuke asked slowly

''Sasuke...I'm not entirely sure.''


	6. Chapter 6

**Some fantastic reviews for the last chapter, as well as some brilliant comments for the story overall. Someone told me they think the storyline has been corrected to a standard which makes it better with continuity- and that's a really nice comment because it's something I have noticed I'm not that good at. Also, my keyboard has been fucking up so bad recently. No t, no m, no spacebar and no 'c' or 'o' keys now either. I literally have to batter the shit out my keyboard every time I want any of those letters- and O is a fucking vowel, it's in everything!**

**Another point about the story. A few people have been commenting, maybe three or four every chapter at max. I'm really really happy with this, because I love getting reviews- but in the comparison to the views, three or four each time is nothing! C'mon guys review!**

**This chapter was really hard to start...I just felt really really lazy all day, but true to my nindo, my ninja way, I have updated as soon as humanly possible. I did start this a few hours later than usual.**

**So yeah, I hope you guys approve, and this chapter will contain: the clash with Kakashi and Sasuke, Haku's revenge, Sakura's revelation, Naruto's new ying/yang jutsu use, and the revelation of exactly how far he has come in his bone manipulation.**

_**Chapter Six: Revelations**_

''What the fuck was that?'' Sasuke yelled as he charged toward the masked genin and aimed a harsh punch to his face. Hofuku's head snapped to the side, and when he turned back his sharingan was spinning furiously, as if it were mocking Sasuke for not having acquired his own Sharingan as of yet.

''Lord Jashin demanded a sacrifice. I had to do it, and he was evil. He was a sinner and as such Jashin called for his blood and he wanted it spilled. I was merely the conduit which allowed him to do so.'' Hofuku said, raising his hand and covering his Sharingan with his bandage once again.

''A better question is,'' Kakashi began, covering his own. ''Where did you get your Sharingan from?''

''It was a gift, Kakashi-sensei. A gift from Lord Jashin for my service.''

''Bullshit!'' Sasuke yelled

''Language...although I agree, it's not plausable.'' Kakashi chided Sasuke and continued.

''And yet, it is so. Believe me or not, that is your own choice. He also bestowed upon me that lovely gift of control over my bones which you saw allowing me to kill the Heathen Zabuza. I must remember to pray to him extra- he would never had recieved his first sacrifice from me if I had not had the ability.'' Hofuku continued. Sakura had awoken at this point, and was staring with the bridgebuilder at her teammate. Upon her awakening, she was informed of what had happened by the bridge builder in the time she had been out.

Getting to her feet, she ran over to Hofuku and punched him harshly in the face. The two of them, Sasuke and Sakura, continued punching, their teammate just taking the blows and refusing to return any of the hits to them. Eventually, Kakashi managed to get the two enraged Genin to stop beating their teammate, but it was a struggle. Sasuke was angry because this random non-Uchiha had a Sharingan, and Sakura was angry because Sasuke was angry and she didn't like it.

''Alright guys! Calm down!'' Kakashi yelled to the genin, and allowed Hofuku to rise from his position on the floor back onto his feet.

''No, no Kakashi, let them continue. It's hardly as if I had felt it anyway.'' the dark genin said, his words clearly not counting the large dent in his gas mask from the harsh punch which Sasuke had begun his assault with. It was obvious that the genin was harmed, but he didn't seem to have reacted in any way, let alone a negative fashion.

''You bastard!'' Sasuke yelled, raising his fist again, and plunging it into Hofuku's stomach. He watched with smug glee as his one sided rival fell to the ground, gasping.

Sasuke also noted the straps located on the mask...he had his chance! He could unmask his rival, right here, right now, and he wouldn't be able to stop him, not all tired after the fight like he must have been. Crouching down next to the harshly breathing genin, he pulled the head up from the floor and gripped the buckle. Hofuku attempted to resist but failed, due to the tiredness filling his limbs from using his high level jutsu. He would come to learn that dark and light jutsu took a hell-of-a-lot more chakra than any regular jutsu, and even with his massive reserves he was running low...he'd have to try and contact the demon fox to set up some form of chakra exchange system.

The Uchiha undid the buckles on the mask and slid it off his enemies face, jerking it harshly when the dent got caught tightly on his nose. Unveiling his rival, he gasped in surprise, showing the first inkling of a human reaction since the entire mission had started.

There, lay mildly exhausted on the grass, was Naruto Uzumaki. His hair was longer than it was last time the Uchiha scion had seen him, his face was a little more sharply shaped and he had a trio of long scars running across his face, meeting in the middle of the face, and some of his skin was darker than the rest at the bottom of his chin, entering his neck area. His one Sharingan eye was still there, fully developed with three tomoe, and his other eye which was black with flames, had faded back into the electric blue he was so known for.

Taking advantage of his gaping enemy, Naruto used some energy which was quickly returning to punch the Uchiha in the face, knocking his mask from his hand. Quickly picking it up and strapping it over his face, ignoring the bandages now that his Sharingan had been revealed, Naruto rose up from the ground. Pointing harshly at his teammates, he whispered with great amounts of venom...

''Don't you _dare _tell anyone about this.''

Walking away, and showing the first sign of irritation since it began, Naruto/Hofuku slammed his mask back on to his face and strode away, practically pulling Tazuna along with him, and carving a deep set of footprints in the ground from where his feet had been. Kakashi picked up Sasuke, laid him across his shoulder and set off after him, signalling silently for Sakura to continue on with him.

line-break

The rest of the week went by almost flawlessly. Naruto acted out his plans for training almost non-stop, irritating Sasuke, beating him down in training, insulting Sakura and undermining Kakashi as much as he could without being taken for insubordination. The rest of the mission went to plan, watching over Tazuna and killing the occasional bandit which Gato sent his way. It only took three or four more weeks for the entire bridge to be finished, and Naruto was now forgoing his mask more often than not, thinking that, if he were already revealed, what's the point of wearing it in front of everyone who had seen it?

When they had gotten home, recieved their pay, and went off to train, Naruto decided he was going to put his new ideas into motion much sooner than later...

_**ULTRA SHORT CHAPTER. This chapter is incredibly short, but there really is no excuse for its shortness either...the only thing I can say is that it was required to move that story on a little bit more. Just letting you all know, that in order to make up for this chapters lack of length, the next one will be longer than average- i.e. upwards of 5000 words, which is weird for me. Hope you guys enjoyed it, review, and tell me what you think!**_

_**Also, I lost a little inspiration for this story at the time of this chapter...so review...now.**_


End file.
